


Drown my will to fly

by Arithese



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Gen, Hurt Stiles, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapped Stiles, Kidnapping, PTSD, Pack Feels, Past Abuse, Past Torture, Psychological Trauma, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Stydia, Tortured Stiles Stilinski, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-20 00:12:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5985835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arithese/pseuds/Arithese
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Scott sacrified himself in the season 3A finale he didn't find the Nemeton, he found a basement. A basement that held a person that got taken when he was six years old. Ripped away from everyone he loved, and everyone that loved him. He found his brother and best friend again, Stiles. DISCONTINUED.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Calm before the storm

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! While I have been writing some stories for awhile on my other account (Athese), I'm completely new to writing Teen Wolf fanfiction. So please, if there is anything wrong as in Characters and all, or my English (since English isn't my mother tongue) please tell me.  
> Please enjoy the story for now :)
> 
> IMPORTANT: I'm sorry, but I didn't feel comfortable with writing Teen Wolf,not like I was with TMNT, or now with YJ. Sorry for everyone who likes this story and sorry to everyone who wanted me to finish it but I won't.... so if you're stumbling across this story.. you better turn away or you can read the first three chapters but note that this won't be finishes. If anyone wants to finish it, adopt the story or something, you're free to do so! Not like I think anyone will, but who knows.

"Dude, what's up with you?" Isaac exclaimed, causing the whole table to turn their heads towards the beta in confusion. And with everyone I meant Allison and Lydia. The four of us currently sitting around a table on school territory. But it was painfully obvious what Isaac meant, and who he meant. Me.

"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong" I frowned slightly, but inwards my heart was beating, something Isaac was obviously noticing right now, especially considering the fact that he was now focused on me. And was I really that easy to read? 

"Yes there is, you've been acting weird all day. And don't tell me it's the whole sacrificing, because Allison is just fine" Isaac continues, gesturing to Allison who was currently sitting next to him. Which was still weird, seeing them together. But I had accepted it a long time ago. I just wasn't in love with her anymore, and she loved Isaac. I wasn't going to stop my best friend from dating her just because of me or anything. 

"Well, aside from seeing my dead aunt" Allison cuts in, shrugging her shoulders slightly. Still, it was obvious that it was bothering her, just like my own werewolf shadow was bothering me. But Isaac was right, there was something besides that. Problem was, I didn't even know it myself. 

I sighed, knowing I had to tell them. "I went to Deaton this morning" I eventually say, lowering my voice slightly. We were outside, and no one was really around us since it wasn't exactly a lunch break but more of a free period. Still, it was a school, and I didn't want any of the students overhearing us talking about the supernatural. 

"And?" Lydia pushed, staring at me as if she was anxious for an answer. 

Again I let out a sigh, feeling the watch burning in my pocket. "We were supposed to be together during the sacrifice Allison." I say, directing my gaze towards said person

"But we weren't" Allison cut in, frowning as well. Neither of the three seemed to know where this was going, and frankly I didn't even know what I wanted to say. I wasn't even sure what it meant. 

"That's the problem, we both had something that would direct us to our parents, the silver bullet, my mom's watch. And yet, you were the only one to see the Nemeton" 

"Hold up" Lydia cut in, her voice raising slightly. "You didn't see the Nemeton?" 

"No, when I woke up from that tub, Allison wasn't there. I didn't think much of it, but when I woke up again, and Allison knew where the Nemeton was, I knew something was wrong." I explained to Lydia. 

"So if you didn't see the Nemeton, what did you see?" Isaac interrupted, still frowning along with Allison. 

"I'm not sure, some kind of warehouse.. a basement of some sort... But we found my mom. So I have no idea what it means." I say, rubbing my head in annoyance. It just didn't make sense. The sacrifice was supposed to help me find my mom, the watch acting as some sort of guide. Because it held an emotional tether to it. 

There was only one.... 

No, that wasn't possible. I told myself. There had to be another reason. 

"I think you do Scott" Lydia whispered, but even Allison, without the werewolf hearing, could've heard it. Not like they knew what Lydia was talking about. After all, Isaac and Allison never met him. So of course they didn't know what she was talking about. And she was also the only one I ever told about the value the watch held. 

"He died Lydia, he's- " But I was interrupted before I could properly formulate my sentence. 

"We don't know Scott." She retorted, but directly her face eased up a bit. "Look, I'm not saying he's alive or that he's dead, but maybe it's a clue where he was or where he..." Softly she bit her lip, looking away but it was painfully obvious what she was implying. Where he had been killed. 

This time it was my time to frown, sure Lydia knew him. Not like I did, but she still knew him. She still saw the effect it had on me, his father, and her. But for her to be so upset about it? So upset by thinking about it? Something was seriously off, besides the sacrifice both me and Allison did the previous day. 

"You okay Lydia?" Allison asked softly, placing her hand on top of her best friend's. Lydia however pulled her hand close, staring at us with wide eyes before she could compose herself again. Still, the shocked, and maybe petrified expression didn't leave her face. And her body stayed tense like something was going to happen. 

"No.." She painfully admitted. "I've been having this feeling... since yesterday.. " 

"A .. banshee feeling?" A nod. "Like someone's about to die, you want to scream" A shake of the head. 

"Not death... but I feel like screaming Allison" 

TeenWolf.

"So what was that all about back there?" I groan slightly, but somehow I knew this was a conversation I wouldn't be able to avoid forever. Neither Allison or Isaac knew about him, or where Lydia and I were talking about. So it was perfectly natural for them to question it, eventually, after school, on the parking lot from school. 

I sigh, pulling out the watch from my pocket. "I used this as the item for the sacrifice. Because it holds a special memory for me and my mom." I start, looking down at it and running my finger along the glass. I took a deep breath, formulating the story in my head and forcing myself to think about the one person I had tried to forget for so long. 

Because it hurt too much to think about him. 

But Isaac was pack, not my beta, but still pack. And on top of that he was my best friend. He deserved the story. 

"But there was another person involved" I continue, catching Isaac's eyes. "When I was 5 , I bought my mom a watch together with my dad. But the day I wanted to give it to her, mother's day, I dropped it and it broke. A friend's mom saw it, and offered to help me repair it, and of course the friend helped me."

A laugh played on my lips, reliving the memory. Even if I could only vaguely recall what had happened, it was enough for the memory. And i would never forget his face. 

"It turned out horrible, but we actually managed to get the watch working again. While it wasn't really good-looking anymore she loved it, since it was kinda self-made. And she took us both for ice-cream that day. It's something special I share with my mom, but also something we share with the three of us" I finish the story, running my finger over the cracks and dents of the watch. 

A damaged watch that my mom always kept on her nightstand because we put so much effort into making it, and it was a reminder of him. 

"So when you sacrificed yourself, and you picked that as your item, it didn't show you where your mom was, but where that friend was." Isaac conducted, but I couldn't get myself to nod. Because it couldn't be true. 

"That's the thing Isaac. It can't be him, I haven't seen him since we were 6."   
Slowly Isaac lowers the helmet that was still in his hands. "What happened to him? He isn't... y'know".   
But I shake my head sadly. 

"He got kidnapped when we were 6 years old, we never heard of him again." 

"Then you don't know if he's dead Scott, look, you told me you saw a basement while Allison saw the Nemeton. You know where it is Scott, and even if he isn't there, don't you wanna know what that place is, or who-.." Isaac tried to say, but just like me during lunch, he was suddenly interrupted. 

"It's a lair" Ethan cut in, walking over to us with Aiden right next to him. "Couldn't help but to overhear your conversation" 

Isaac snorts next to me, his eyes flashing gold for a second. "Eavesdropping is more like it" 

"Overheard what you were talking, then eavesdropping" Aiden shrugs like it’s the most normal thing to do. 

"What do you mean 'it's a lair'?" I eventually cut in, confused about the comment.

"It's a lair, for werewolves, the alpha lair to be precise." Aiden says, shrugging his shoulder slightly. "Like I said, we overhead what you were talking about. And we think we know what you are talking about. And who" This time there was no sign of innocence, the smirk that had been present just seconds before had completely vanished, and there was something odd in his eyes. 

It wasn't anything to be suspicious about, although it seemed like it, but I still had no idea what it meant. Shit, that didn't even make sense. But when did anything make sense, I was a freaking werewolf for crying out loud. 

"We're not interested, it's probably a trick to get us killed" Isaac snorts, glaring at the twins and once again flashing his eyes. Maybe out of mockery since the twins just lost their alpha status, and maybe to intimidate them, challenge them to even think about harming anyone he cares about. 

"Deucalion is gone, the pack is dead. We have no reason to hurt you guys anymore. Look, i get that you don't trust us.." Ethan cuts in. 

"Damn right we don't" Isaac retorts but Ethan ignores it, turning to me instead. 

"But you are right about one thing if you saw our lair, there is something there. It was our lair, and when Kali joined the Alpha pack way before us, she brought someone with her. A boy, and he's still there. We were going to free him, but with the whole dying thing..-" Ethan trailed off, but it didn't matter. 

Even if I hadn't been sacrificed and I knew it had something to do with someone I once loved dearly, I would've gone to check it out. There was a person in there, imprisoned, and without someone to feed him he would surely die. And that thought made me gag inwards. It made me sick. Nobody deserved that, nobody. So I quickly made up my mind. 

"Don't bother" I say, putting on my helmet as well and stepping onto my bike. "We're already going."


	2. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott and Lydia find Stiles...

It’s kind of ridiculous if you think about it. Just yesterday I had been ritually sacrifices. Just yesterday the lives of my mom, Stile’s dad and Allison’s dad had been threatened, they could’ve died so easily. Just yesterday I was fighting Jennifer and at the same time a powerful Alpha, with the power of countless beta’s in him. 

And I was afraid, but I didn’t hesitate. 

I fought with all I had and I just didn’t think about it y’know. It was to save my pack, my family, everyone I cared about. Just yesterday I became an alpha. I faced Derek dead-on so my alpha-status would know I was below Derek, and we could cooperate in one pack. I never hesitated back then, not during the fight, not when I was pushed under water. 

Not ever. 

And right now I was hesitating, I was afraid what I would find. No scratch that, I was afraid of the condition the person would be in. From the moment we entered the house, an abandoned and almost ruined house, I could hear a heartbeat. It was slower than usual but not life-threatening. He or she was still alive, but it came from the basement, and that scared me. 

Scared enough to make me hesitate. 

“Dude.. you okay? Your heartbeat is out of control” Isaac mutters, and when I turn around to face him all I see is concern in his eyes. Concern for me. Worry. 

“It’s nothing Isaac, I’m just worried..” I reply vaguely, not wanting to let him know how anxious I really was. But with every descending step I took on the stairs, I could feel my heart speeding up a bit. Every time I stepped closer to the basement I recognised more, I remembered this hall from the sacrifice. I remember the stairs, and I was scared for the actual room. 

“I get it dude, if it’s really him.. I’d be worried too” I know he’s trying to comfort me, I really do, and I really appreciate that he’s trying. But it’s just not helping. 

“If you want me to go first, I understand” He hesitantly adds, and despite my worries I could feel some weird affection welling up in my heart. His past wasn’t a secret to either of us, we all knew what his father did to him. 

And the fact that he was willing to go first, into a place that was similar to where he had been abused by his father just a year ago… it showed how close we had grown in this relatively short period of time. While it had only been me and Derek at first, slowly people joined. And slowly we had become something closer than family, we became a pack. 

“I’m okay Isaac.. but thanks for offering” I say to him, pausing as I reach the wooden door at the end of the stairs. I could hear Isaac taking his last step as well, standing next to me and looking at the door. It was a big wooden door, a lock attached to it. It was obviously too thick and too strong for a human to open it, but it wasn’t for a werewolf. 

“So how are we going-“ Isaac starts but before he could finish the sentence my claws had already ripped the lock from the door, said object falling to the ground with a loud clang. “That could work.. yea” 

“C’mon” I say, ignoring Isaac’s comment. And I certainly wasn’t trembling when I pushed open the door. Because that’d be ridiculous, I faced alpha’s dead on. Besides, it couldn’t be him. It couldn’t be Stiles. He died years ago, when, how, and by whom wasn’t known, but he died. There was no way in hell that he was still….

And then it was like the ground had vanished, I was falling. Falling and falling. I wasn’t screaming, too shocked by said fall. I immediately recognised him. It was him, just 10 years older, but it was him. Before I even knew it my knees connected to the hard ground. A jolt of pain went through my body but it was numbed by the revelation. 

“No…” it was barely a whisper. Something I would never say, but the pure horror in his eyes.. it was too much to look at. His brown eyes immediately darted to the ground, his shaking too evident to be covered up, too evident to miss. Even without werewolf vision. 

“Stiles..?” The name felt foreign from Isaac’s mouth, and it was laced with uncertainty. Because he wasn’t sure, he never knew Stiles. He didn’t know that it was him, but he still called out. Even so, Stiles didn’t look up. He kept his head down, his eyes squeezed shut and his frame shaking so badly that the chains rattled with him. 

“Listen.. we are the good guys okay? We’re here to get you out. How does that sound?” Still there was no response from him, the rattling of the chains and the heartbeats the only sound present in the room. Carefully Isaac trotted over to the trembling boy, wise enough not to touch him immediately. 

“I’m going to get you free now, but you must know that I am also a werewolf” At this a soft whimper escaped the boy’s mouth. “Hey easy.. I’m not like those other guys.. I’m not an Alpha. Look in my eyes” And for some reason, the boy slowly lifted his head. His eyes were brimming with tears but he kept his gaze on Isaac’s eyes, which were no doubt gold by now. 

After a few seconds the boy hung his head again, his knees buckling and threatening to give out. Isaac could just catch him in time before he lost his footing, and the chains would be the only thing holding him up. But judging from the dried blood on his wrists, that had already happened at least one time. And only then did I find my own footing again. 

I didn’t even dare to speak, but the look on Isaac’s face was enough to communicate right now. I whipped my claws out again and slashed right through the chains holding the fragile boy up. He would’ve crumbled to the ground if it wasn’t for Isaac. The latter immediately swung an arm over his own shoulder, but the boy was too tired to stand on his own feet. 

I immediately rushed over to the other side, swinging Stiles’ free arm over my own shoulder and hauling him up with the help of Isaac. I ignored the grunt of pain that escaped his mouth, or the fact that he wasn’t even conscious anymore, and we started moving. Getting him out of here. . The staircase was too small for three people so Isaac freed himself from our grip and I was left to help Stiles up the stairs. 

“Allison, call the pack and meet us at Derek’s. It’s an emergency” I heard Isaac say behind me. I didn’t hear the reply of Allison, and maybe I didn’t even want to hear it. And as I walked outside, I wondered how in the world we were going to fix this. Could it even be fixed in the first place? 

TWTWTW

Surprisingly it had been Lydia present at the loft, and not Derek. Not like it mattered right now but at the same time I was glad it was Lydia and not Derek. While we were a pack, Derek and I weren't really friends outside of it. It definitely had gotten better over the year but it wasn't like the relationship I had with Isaac, Lydia and just the rest of the pack. 

So I was glad to be with Lydia, pack but also one of my best friends. Someone I was one hundred percent comfortable with. Because I needed that right now, I needed someone I could build on right now. Considering I had crumbled the moment I saw the boy in that room just 20 minutes ago. 

The same boy that was currently crumbled in my hold, his eyes partly open and glazed over. Like he wasn't even progressing what was happening to him. Sometimes, with the smallest movement, he would let out a soft whimper, and it hurt me to see him like this. Not just because he was in pain but because this was Stiles. A boy who used to be my best friend. 

Before he got taken away from us. 

"I'm done" Lydia eventually declares, turning back to Stiles and me. Her heels had long been kicked off and were now laying in the corner of the bathroom of Derek's loft. She had her hair wrapped up in a quick and messy bun and her sleeves wrapped up to her upper arms. The bath next to her filled with lukewarm water. 

Before I could move Lydia is already at my side, placing a soft hand on Stiles cheek. Very slowly his brown eyes turn towards Lydia but his expression stays the same, emotionless. 

"Don't freak out" She quietly whispers before reaching for the zipper on his battered jeans and gently pulling down his jeans and the rest of the clothes he was wearing, except for his boxers. Stiles didn’t react, he only tensed up slightly but it wasn’t a significant change. He was mostly… catatonic almost. But his heartbeat gave him away, he was terrified. 

When he was stripped of his clothes I stood up, carefully carrying him over to the bath, wincing at the whimper of pain that left Stiles' mouth. 

The clear water immediately turned a shade darker when his filthy body touched the water. The pained expression on Stiles face eased a little as he slipped under the father to his neck and the emotionless face returned, his eyes slipping out of focus like he had done when I was holding him. His eyes still partly open and not focused on a single point really. 

"Scott, go get some clothes or something" Lydia hisses after a few seconds, and only then did I really realise the tears that were brimming in my eyes. 

"How are you still so calm Lydia..?" I retort in a whisper, wiping away the tears from my eyes. Lydia turns to me, her eyebrows raising and tilting her head slightly in a questioning look. A look that immediately gave away that she was far from okay by seeing Stiles. But unlike me, she was trying to contain it, remain calm. 

So I quietly nod, walking up to the door with evenly quiet steps. The door creaks slightly as it opens but I pay no mind to it. I slowly turn around, my eyes taking in the scene in front of me. Lydia's left hand was under Stiles, keeping his head above the water, and the right hand was carefully rubbing of the dirt on his face. Gently splashing warm water on parts of his face. 

My mind is mostly a blur as a walk through the hall, walking into one of the rooms that had acted as my 'guest room' for quite some time right now. Ever since the fight I had with Derek's pack back with the kanima had been resolved we agreed to make some collective space together, besides, Derek needed a place to live. 

Not his old, burned down house, and certainly not the place he had before. He needed a real home. So together with the pack we found this big loft and fixed the second floor. A metal spiral chair would lead you to the first floor. At first it had been a mess, no, even that would be an understatement. It wasn't any place a normal being could live in. 

But we fixed the place up. And it became what we wanted it to be, a pack home, a home for Derek. The open space that was left on the right side of the loft had been turned into a giant sitting room. With TV, and mattresses placed all over the floor, surrounded by three couches. Creating some kind of bunker meant for pack nights and puppy piles, as Lydia has dubbed it. 

Around the corner of the 'bunker' was the kitchen. A simple kitchen while the table was in the main part of the loft, directly in front of the large window. The middle of the loft was mostly kept open, for small training sessions. Though Derek specifically warned us, if we’d ever break something while training bad things would happen. 

Upstairs there were several rooms, one for Derek, and two guest rooms. One of which was sort of given to me, but considering I didn’t really sleep here often it wasn’t really mine. The other one was shared between Lydia and Allison. There was one more bedroom for Isaac, and of course a bathroom and a toilet somewhere else. 

My room wasn’t really that impressive, mostly since I didn’t often use it. I hadn’t really put in the effort to fix it, and it was good enough to bunk in for the night. But it did include a twin bed, a drawer for all my clothes, a desk with a chair, a shelf filled with books and some other random stuff Allison and Lydia had put into my room, and hung on the wall, because they had claimed that it was too empty. 

I shook my head slightly, walking over to my drawer. I quickly found some comfortable sweatpants, a shirt and some clean underwear. When I entered the bathroom again, trying not to make any sound, the water had been drained from the tub and Stiles was wrapped up tightly in a towel, sitting way too still. And I was this close to calling my mom, the hospital, anything. 

Because his health was starting to worry me. 

“Thanks” Lydia whispered, gratefully accepting the clothes I had brought with me. And only then did I notice the closed eyes, he had fallen asleep. Even his heartbeat had slowed down immensely. Almost to a normal beat, for which I was grateful. 

“Go back to the rest Scott, I got this.” But I shook my head.

“No way I’m leaving him Lydia.. Look at him! I can’t… I can’t leave him” 

“Give me a break Scott, you can barely contain your tears. I got him okay?” Lydia once again tries, but I’m not going anywhere.. he is.. was my best friend. I saw all the effects it had on the people that loved him. I felt the effect it had on me. I saw Stiles’ dad for a full year after Claudia died. When my mom took him in since he was too lost to live by himself. 

Multiple times I had listened to his cries in the middle of the night, cries muffled by the pillow John was pressing his face in. I could see how hard it was on my mom, she considered him as a brother of mine, a son of hers. No way I was leaving him when we just got him back.. Besides, I was not ready to tell the story to the rest of the pack. 

Though Isaac had probably already told them, and considering the fact that no one has walked up the stairs he had managed to convince them to let us treat him. 

“Fine, get the first aid kit then, the cuts on his arms needs to be treated” 

“Lydia.. I know you’re trying to help him.. but there’s no way you’ll be able to carry him to my room. I got this, you get the first aid kit” I say, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. Lydia huffs slightly but gives me a slight smile, knowing I was right and only trying to help. Just like she was. 

TWTWTW

The cuts on his arms weren’t really bad, none of them had needed stitches. Though his wrists were a mess. They had obviously been opened multiple times by the chains. Lydia had given him a small sedative when we got him to my bedroom. It’d be the most comfortable place for him to stay. Besides Derek, Lydia and Isaac needed a place to stay and I could just drag a spare mattress to Isaac’s room. 

“Are you going to tell me why you haven’t called his dad?” Lydia whispers softly, starting to wrap bandages around Stiles’ wrist. She never stopped to look at me, but it was clear that she was waiting for an answer. 

“I don’t know if he’ll be able to handle this Lydia…. Look at him. This isn’t the Stiles that we knew” 

“Maybe not.. but it’s still him Scott. And John is still Stiles’ father. He deserves to know” 

I groan slightly, not out of annoyance but because I know Lydia is right. “I know.. I just want to wait. See how he reacts to.. us after everything. I don’t want to put his father through this” And I knew I didn’t need to elaborate. Because Lydia would know what I was talking about. While John had moved into my house, Lydia also knew what happened after Stiles’ disappearance. 

She knew about the drinking problem John had, and how hard Claudia’s death had hit him. He lost his whole family, he lost everyone he loved. He couldn’t possibly go through this. A long lost son who had been kidnapped by a pack of alpha’s. I was going to wait until I knew how much he’d been affected, how he would handle having us around. 

But I also knew that I was just too afraid to call John, too afraid for his reaction. I felt like protecting him, both him and Stiles. I didn’t want him to present his long-lost son, and then said son being too afraid to be around him. For now I would keep him in the dark, figure out how much Stiles was affected. Because right now PTSD was pretty much a given. 

Even while Stiles himself hadn’t confirmed it, the scars littering his chest and back gave away what they did to him. 

Torture.


	3. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack discusses Stiles' health, and know they have to do something..

They could only hold them off for so long. Of course no amount of explaining would take away the curiosity that was filling the small pack. Both Derek and Allison wanted to know who was upstairs, how he looked like. They wanted to view for themselves to whom the weak but steady heartbeat belonged, to whom the smell belonged. Even if Allison couldn’t hear it herself. They wanted to know but Scott could keep them at bay. 

For so long. 

Allison hadn't been able to hear it, but the wolves could. At first it was just a small sound, nothing to worry about or to take action. But the time the second sob came they were basically all running upstairs. Allison was far behind. Mostly because Allison simply couldn't hear what was going on without the enhanced hearing that wolves possessed. And blindly ran after the three wolves. 

Still, she could put two and two together, and she was also the first one to figure out the sobbing was simply because Lydia was finally catching up with everything that had happened, finding someone who she'd known since she was a child, someone who hadn't been as close as a friend nor family, but someone she kept thinking about her whole life. Because he suddenly disappeared. 

Scott and Isaac were the obvious ones. They were worried about Lydia. And Derek was worried about his pack. Because even if Lydia wasn’t a wolf, she was one hundred percent pack. 

"I-I'm sorry.. I'm okay" Lydia tried, but the pack had already seen the tears rolling down her face, so there was no point in hiding it. It was a miracle actually that Stiles hadn’t woken up from all the sounds. At least they thought so at first, but the moment they saw the droplets of sweat trickling down his face they knew why. 

Stiles was running a fever, a bad one from the smell of it. 

Quickly after they noticed Lydia was okay Isaac had stepped outside, meeting Allison downstairs, but Scott stayed. 

"Don't apologise Lydia, and don't cover up. We know this is hard for you" Scott started, his stomach twisting at the irony of the sentence. Since the same thing was basically applying to Scott, and yet he was standing here. Pretending to be okay. 

"You should take a break, I can watch him for a while" He offered, taking a step towards Lydia. Her tears had been dried already but the faint mascara mark still lingered on her cheeks. And not to mention the redness of her eyes. An annoyed sigh came from their alpha, closely followed by an eye roll. 

But before he could make any remark regarding Scott's own foolishness heartbeat suddenly changed, slightly accelerating. And except for Lydia, they all knew what it meant, even Isaac could hear it from the hallway. Though the irony in the whole thing was that Lydia saw it first, his eyes twitching slightly and slowly fluttering open. 

They were glazed over, not the distant look he had just a few hours ago. No, this time it was the fever doing its job. Still, it didn't mean he wasn't aware at all. 

"Stiles?" Lydia's voice was soft, barely audible but Stiles caught it anyways. Horror and surprise were written on Stiles' face when he reluctantly turned to Lydia, before scanning the room he was in. His heart was beating unnaturally fast en it was obvious he was petrified by them. Petrified by the room he wasn’t familiar with, and by the humans he didn’t know. 

A low whimper escaped Stiles' mouth, and he squirms under the blanket, basically waiting for something to happen. Scott walks closer to Stiles, taking his place on the other side of Lydia. But Derek slowly walks out of the room, giving Scott and Lydia time alone. The latter quickly turns to Stiles, reaching out for him but quickly changing her mind. Touching would be the last thing Stiles wanted. 

"Hey... we're not gonna hurt you okay?" But Stiles doesn't answer. "I promise Stiles.. we aren't like the Alpha pact you were with. I'm not even a werewolf" She left out the banshee part on purpose, one because she didn't even know herself what it fully meant, and two, maybe having a 'human' would make him more at ease. 

"They were human as well" Or not. 

A short silence followed, and nobody dared to speak. Stiles' voice was raspy, clearly unused and dehydrated. And the sentence didn't make sense. They were alpha's, unless there had been people before the alpha's who had him. Which'd make sense because Deucalion only went down the dark path after Gerard had blinded him. Long after Stiles got kidnapped. 

"Well, we're not like them Stiles" Scott cut in, helping Lydia out the best he could. "Don't you remember us? We look familiar don't we?" There was a jump in his heart, and Scott had no idea what it meant. Shock, fear, suspicion, revelation? 

"... I.. " 

His voice still raspy, like the previous sentence and it was clear it was painful to speak out loud. Not to mention the fever he was still having. 

“Hang on a second” Scott interrupts in a low voice, walking over to the drawer and pulling out some kind of book. And Lydia almost immediately recognises what it is. Scott showed her once he moved into Derek’s loft. Lydia got a hold on the book when she helped him get settled in his new room, and Scott showed her what was in it. 

Still, Lydia wasn’t even sure if it was wise to show him this. She had no idea how he would react to seeing those old pictures. But she didn’t have the guts to stop Scott, because it could also make him remember them, make him realise that they were the good guys, and that he was perfectly safe here. It could go either way, but she was willing to take the risk. 

The muscles in Stiles’ arms were tense, and his eyes were cautiously following Scott’s movements. Like he was expecting him to attack, to do something. And the sad thing was that that fear wasn’t even irrational. It had probably happened before. Even so, he was surprisingly calm if you thought about it. Stiles slowly sat up straight, eyeing at his bandaged wrists for a few seconds. 

Scott silently handed Stiles the book, keeping his movements slow and non-threatening. It reminded him of that girl a few years ago. She had been found walking down the road, injured and soaking wet. Starved, tired and afraid. She had, just like Stiles, been kidnapped. She was around Scott’s age at that time, and it was sheer luck that he was in the hospital that day. And his mom had a shift. 

She absolutely refused to let anyone near her, she was terrified of the doctors and people trying to approach her. And when no one was looking, Scott snuck into the room. The girl was, quite surprisingly, not wary of Scott, even trusted him. And a few hours Melissa was, albeit reluctantly, allowed into the room to check her over. 

He remembered how cautious he had to be around her, keep his voice down, avoid any harsh and sudden movements or mention something that the girl didn’t want to remember. Not push her, but also not being a pushover. 

“Recognise someone?” Lydia was tempted to reach out to him, comfort him. But the way he was constantly tensed and trembling from the fever that was still plaguing him….it kept her rooted in place, afraid to scare him off. 

The book was open, a few pages through the photo album. And Stiles was currently staring at a picture of Scott and his dad. Scott was wearing a helmet and was sitting on a bike with a huge grin on his face, while his dad was holding the bike upright, so Scott wouldn’t fall on the concrete that was below him. Lydia assumed his mom had taken the picture, but she wasn’t sure. 

“S-Scott?” His voice broke, a sob bubbling up in his throat, and his eyes turned to Scott. Connecting the dots. 

“Yea.. it’s me.” 

Stiles slowly turns away from Scott, looking into Lydia’s eyes. “Lydia?” 

His voice steady but unsure this time. Uncertainty, almost denial. But Lydia nods, tears lingering in her eyes. Stiles’ focus turns back to the album again, and he scans over the pictures, tears forming in his eyes as well. Never does the tension leave his body. 

With trembling hands he turns to the next page, his fingers ghosting over the large picture on the left page. Two boys grinning like mad, and covered in mud. But even so, it wasn’t hard to make out who the boys were. He recognised Scott, and he recognised himself. Before everything went to hell, and he suddenly disappeared a little over 10 years ago. 

And suddenly the book was on the ground. 

“Sti-“ Scott started, jumping out of his chair at the sudden reaction. Stiles whimpered, scrambling backwards with the blanket covering his body. 

“Get out” His body was shaking, and droplets of sweat were streaming down his face. “Please” His voice was soft and pleading, and his eyes watered at the use of his voice. Lydia and Scott looked at each other, unsure what to do. 

“Please” 

Lydia and Scott reluctantly stood up, both walking to the door. Stiles whimpered again, curling up in a pathetic ball and wrapping the blanket around himself tightly, eyes fixed on the plain wall next to him. 

TWTWTW

“He’s getting worse Scott, you can hear it too” Isaac mutters darkly, his eyes casted downwards. 

“I know, I know. But what do you want me to do? We can’t bring him to the hospital. His father…” Scott replies, running a hand over his face. 

“Remind me again why that is a bad idea? His father deserves to know he’s alive. Don’t you think?” Derek retorts, his arms folded over his chest and glaring at the Square. The name given for the sitting room. Given because the couches together formed one big square, the TV side completing it. 

The pack was currently sitting around or in the square, all the wolves cautious for a sound coming from Scott’s room. 

It’s been a few hours since Stiles had asked, begged, them to leave. And ever since they hadn’t done much else than sit around, wait for a sign. Allison was forced to leave after the first hour but she had promised to be back soon. Lydia, Isaac and Scott stuck around. Including Derek. 

“I know Derek” Scott mutters back. “But you know the Sherriff, you know about Stiles” A few hours back, before Stiles had woken up, Scott had told the whole story to the pack. Who Stiles was, because obviously apart from Lydia no one had known the boy. And basically everything that was relevant to know. 

And apparently, Derek knew all about Stiles. Apparently, his family had discussed the situation at home back in the day. It was a small town after all, and the fact that Stiles’ dad was the Sheriff helped as well. Another pro to the situation was that Scott didn’t have to explain everything to him. The reasons he couldn’t contact his dad. 

“Scott, look at him. He’s a fucking mess” Derek groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. But the worry was all too evident. 

“And that’s the exact reason I don’t want him to find out just yet!” 

“I think Scott’s right.” All heads turn to Lydia, who grimaces slightly at the comment. “When he found out he was home, as far as this can be called his home, he freaked out. I’m not sure but it could be because he can’t progress all of it. He clearly remembered us. Can you imagine what it’d do to him if he’d see his dad?” 

“Cora had the same thing in the beginning” Derek mutters, surprising the whole pack. It was evident that Derek honestly hated to talk about his family, or anything related to his past. At least he used to. Ever since they became a pack, a real pack, he has been starting to open up more. It was a small change, a mention here and there, but it was progress. 

“Still, we have to do something guys. I can hear his heartbeat getting worse” While they all knew, even Lydia, that Stiles wasn’t in any danger of dying, they also knew that Isaac was right. He was obviously sick. And needed some treatment for him to get better. 

“Isaac is right. We have to do something” By now Derek has walked over to the Square, not quite sitting down but standing close to the rest of his pack. Still, even if they were a pack, Derek was still an outsider so to speak. They could all talk to him, but he wasn’t in school anymore, which did create some difference. 

Even if he wasn’t that much older, just a little over 5 years, the things he experienced made him age dramatically. The death of his family, the guilt he felt over it –figuring he brought Kate to his family-, the physical and emotional torture, killing the only family he had left, at least before Cora turned out to be alive. And another shitload of things that happened to him. 

Still, he was getting better, opening up slowly. And in the pack’s defence, they had also experienced horrible things throughout the last year. Scott and Isaac turning into wolves, the latter voluntarily but still. Lydia finding out she is a banshee, and the whole mess with Allison’s family. All things that left them scarred inside. 

“Maybe we should call Melissa” Isaac tries hesitantly. 

“No way. She’ll tell him” Scott retorts, shaking his head at Isaac. 

“Not if we ask her not to Scott. And it’s just for a short time.” A soft groan escapes Scott’s lips. “Come on Scott. He needs someone to look after him. And this way we won’t have to bring him to the hospital.”

And Scott knows Isaac is right. 

TWTWTW

“Scott, are you sure it’s him?” Melissa asks, again.

“It’s him mom” Scott confirms, his voice low and gazing in his mom’s eyes. Their eyes meet for a few seconds and slowly Melissa brings her hand to Scott’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly as some kind of assurance. And Scott smiles softly, grateful for his mom’s attempt to cheer him. 

“Listen kiddo, we’ll get through this okay? If it’s really him he won’t be the same. But we’ll get through this” 

“I hope so” Scott replies lowly, not actually wanting to believe it. They didn’t even know what really happened to him during all those years. His back was scarred but it wasn’t really that excessive. And apart from the cuts on his arms and wrists he wasn’t damaged at all. At least not regarding appearance. Not to mention the fever that was still plaguing him. 

Lydia was once again sitting next to Scott’s bed. Her hands folded in her lap, as if she was afraid she would wake him otherwise. She was biting her lip slightly as he looked at him, sadness filling her eyes. Stiles’ skin was damp with sweat and his face was troubled. 

“Scott…” Melissa whispers, taking in the young boy in the bed in front of her. Now she knew what her son meant, how he could’ve been so sure. It was hard to miss all the similarities. It was an exact replica of the little boy she once knew, someone that had been as close as a son to her. 

But she never waited for the response, not like she was awaiting one in the first place. She directly walked over to the bedside, shutting off her emotions the best she could. What she always did when helping a wounded patient. But these weren’t emotionally attached to her, and even after 10 years, Stiles was still very dear to her. 

“His pulse is weak.” Melissa whispers, counting the seconds between the thumps of his heart. Her eyes focused on the watch on her wrist. She carefully places the wrist back, the tips of her fingers lingering on the limb for a few seconds. “His skin is cold and clammy, and it seems his breathing is a bit rapid. He’s in a mild shock.”

“But you can help him right?” Scott asks, anxious. 

“We have to give him an IV-drip first.” Immediately Scott hands his mom the first aid kit. Something Lydia had insisted on having. Considering all the fights they got into. And sometimes the wolves needed medical care before they could heal, and considering they had two humans in their pack. Actually one, since Lydia was a banshee. But unfortunately she didn’t have any rapid healing. 

To be fair, most of the medical stuff they had weren’t supposed to be at home. But because of their situation they got it anyway. And now they were grateful, for having an IV at home and not having to take Stiles to the hospital. Not like Scott was going to refuse it either way, if it was going to save him he wouldn’t hesitate to carry him to the hospital himself. 

It was just that he’d rather keep Stiles here, so he could hopefully be more at ease. And they could prepare John… and Stiles. 

Melissa worked quickly but precisely, cleaning Stiles’ wrist before inserting a needle. 

“He’s gonna be okay right?” 

“He is. He seems to be in a mild shock, probably from the change of environment. It’s common with kidnapping” The last sentence is quiet, just so quiet. As if she didn’t want to admit that Stiles now belonged to that category. 

Scott nods absently, walking over to Lydia instead. She sighs in defeat and leans against him, and he doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her, bringing her as close as possible. It calmed them down, pack assured Scott and the hug calmed down Lydia. And they both needed it right now. And Lydia was the only one, besides his mom, who would understand Scott. 

Isaac, Allison and Derek, while obviously feeling bad for Stiles, hadn’t known him before. 

Scott watches closely as his mom fills the IV with different medication to raise his blood pressure, to fight off the shock. Epinephrine, norepinephrine, and more difficult words that somehow stuck in his head. After a little while Melissa is done, stroking Stiles’ hair out of his face as if it was her own child. Her teenage son who had fallen asleep after a party or something, or from staying up too late from schoolwork. 

She brings the blanket up a little bit before turning to the two teenagers, her face stern. 

“Here’s the deal, I will keep this from John. But not forever. It’s his son, and while I do not entirely get your decision, I trust you on this one.” She says, squeezing his shoulder gently. “I give you 4 days okay? After that I’m calling him. just.. try to assure him he’s safe and don’t push him too much. Don’t ask him about what happened and listen when he tells you. Make him trust you again”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know, Stiles is asleep for most of the chapter (and the whole story so far...) but next chapter will have Stiles up and talking! Promise ^^


End file.
